Following last night's 88-71 victory over Hapoel Jerusalem in the Winner Cup semifinals on Sunday, Maccabi Tel Aviv Chairman Shimon Mizrahi departed for Lake Como, Italy, for the EuroLeague owners meeting. Beyond the primary agenda items, Mizrahi will attempt to promote the return of the competition's games to Israel, with Maccabi Tel Aviv hoping for a shift during the upcoming sessions.
Regarding the main meeting, tournament management is expected to approve adding eight teams with long-term licenses to join the 13 founding clubs of the EuroLeague. Excluding CSKA Moscow, which is currently not permitted to return to the competition, the change will create 20 permanent teams in the EuroLeague out of 24 set to play next season, with the possibility of more teams in subsequent years.
Among the 13 clubs competing for a license, all willing to pay an initial fee running into tens of millions of euros, are two Israeli teams - Hapoel Tel Aviv and Hapoel Jerusalem - which by all indications are competing for a single slot. Various EuroLeague management officials who spoke with us assessed that one of the Israeli teams will ultimately receive the license despite the complex security situation, although they found it difficult to indicate which club would secure entry.
Hapoel Tel Aviv holds a clear advantage given that it is already playing its second season in the EuroLeague with great success, investing large sums of money, and appearing to be a club determined to establish itself at the top tier of the competition. On the other hand, Hapoel Tel Aviv faces an arena issue for the time being, as it would be expected to share a venue again with Maccabi Tel Aviv if games return to Israel.
Hapoel Jerusalem, by contrast, enjoys an advantage in terms of its arena, and the name of the Adelson family precedes it, opening quite a few doors for the capital club. Jerusalem has conducted a campaign over the past two years to secure a permanent license, and the club remains optimistic about its chances.
While until a few weeks ago there was a feeling that the issue would be finalized and the eight teams announced during the meetings in Italy, reports in Europe in recent days indicate that the current meeting is likely to be only the first of several held throughout the year. Under this scenario, only a limited number of teams would be approved in the initial phase, with the announcement of the remaining clubs continuing into the season.